Chapter 3

GINA Earlier she was focused on the clock and hoped that Ace would come to her house. It was past twelve at midnight but still no Ace was coming. Ace should have arrived at her boarding house twenty minutes ago. She sat down on the sofa and seemed to be losing her appetite. She has to accept the fact that Ace isn't really coming anymore. Anyway, she's not new to Ace. Not really. He must have changed his mind so he just didn't go on. Who is she that would waste Ace's time? Yet, every time they get close they are always fighting. She and Ace didn't really get along so she thought it was impossible for anyone to mediate between the two of them. What if she just gets him drunk? But of course not here in her house. She should take him to another place, a kind of romantic place that she will never forget her first experience. Gina just giggled at the craziness she was thinking. Thinking like a woman of experience huh, Georgina. She hasn't even had a serious relationship before. She had boyfriends in the past, but usually their relationship lasts only three months. Before Ace came into her life, she also dated a lot of men, hoping that she would find her lifetime partner before she was twenty-five years old. But she didn't like any of them even though the others were persistent with her. Twenty-five is her target age to get married because she doesn't want to be like her cousins ​and aunt who didn't get married when they were over the age of twenty-five, as if the race is over. Now that she is twenty-four, her chances of getting married seem to be getting smaller and smaller. If she doesn't really do everything to get married, she will be an old virgin. Her deep thought was aroused when she heard a faint knock on her door, and she was suddenly confused. She took a deep breath and counted her steps to ten before she opened the door. It was Ace, but her sulk was more dominant than the pleasure of seeing him because he made her wait again. "I thought you changed your mind." She pretended to be drowsy by yawning while turning her back on Red. "I'm sorry. It took me a while because something...are you the one who decorated your house, Gina?" Ace changes the topic from what he first said while walking around her living room as if surveying the house. "Who else? I live here alone." She replied sarcastically. Ace just rolled his eyes and glanced around the room which she filled with various kinds of decorations. "I think your house is full of decorations." She saw Ace take her heart-shaped pillow from the sofa while she frowned and stared at the pillow. Ace turned his gaze to the wall of her house. "What do you call the color of this wall of yours?" "Turquoise blue." "Well, the color you chose is beautiful." Ace commented. "Shades of blue are my favorite color." She replied. ACE He sees that Gina is good at tidying up the house, because she is very organized with her belongings. Although her boarding house is not very big, but it is clean and airy. He also noticed the collectible items inside her glass cabinet that all the displays there were wedding give-aways. Did Gina was that desperate? He heard that his co-workers were talking about her that Gina's future husband would be lucky to get married with her, because he would not have to spend much on their wedding. Gina had saved her dream wedding well. Why is marriage such a big deal for Gina? he asked himself. GINA "Would you like something to drink, Ace? I also have a slice of bread here and orange juice." She didn't wait for Ace to answer and instead she went straight to the kitchen to prepare something to eat and drink for Ace. "Take off your jacket first and feel at home." "Georgina." She immediately turned her attention to Ace calling her real name. "Come here first." "W-why?" Ace just laughed at her. "You're very suspicious." "Actually, you act very unusual to me tonight." She replied to Ace. "Is that so?" said Ace and stepped closer to her. "I'm looking for an opportunity to talk to you without fighting." She saw Ace take a small gold box from his pocket. Then he took her right hand and placed the small box in her palm. "What is this?" "Open it, so you will know." "Hmmm..I think it's just a keychain." Before she thought of opening the box, she shook it first. "What is this?" "Guess what." "You know Ace, when I was a kid, when I received gifts from my godparents, I guessed it, before I opened it." "You will no longer be surprised if you can guess." She just smiled at Ace. The man stepped closer to her. "Why don't you just open it?" "If I open it right away, I can't predict anything." She just swallowed because she and Ace were so close that she could almost smell his addictive scent. Ace took another step closer to her, this time they were really very close, so her knees were already softening. "All right, open it." She also thought that if she still didn't open it, Ace would step closer to her again and she was sure that their bodies would react. She was also tense with the closeness of the two of them so she thought of just opening it. She held her breath as she opened the contents of the box. "Wow!" "You said you lost your earrings, right? That's why I thought of giving it to you." Gina took the gold onyx stud earrings from its box and put them on right away. "I like it, thank you." "Uhm...not only that, I have another gift for you." She was surprised when Ace gave her another small box. Compared to Ace first gift to her, she was more excited to open the second one. When she saw it, her eyes widened. It is an expensive glowing white gold necklace with an opal teardrop pendant, and in her calculation it costs more than ten thousand pesos. "Can I wear that for you?" Ace asked her while extending his hands to her. "All right." She replied. It seemed like an hour as Ace wore the necklace around her neck. As he fastened the clasp of the necklace, his fingertips grazed upon her neck and it seemed to grind her. While the pendant itself rested at the heart level. She turned around to face Ace and as if to thank him. "Thank you for the wonderful birthday gifts you gave." she said as she held the pendant of the necklace. "Did you like it?" "Of course." "So in that case, you won't take those off?" "No." "Are we even going to argue?" "Depends..just wait I'll get you something to drink first." "Don't bother anymore Gina, I'm leaving." The two stared at each other for a moment. She is now stepping closer to Ace. "Do you want to know what Maryam gave me?" "Never mind." She just smiled meaningfully at Ace. "I'm sure her gift to you is one of her products." "You're right and I liked what she gave me, but I want to know what your opinion is." She said as she took the gift Maryam gave her. ACE He stiffened in his stance as Gina showed off the sexy lingerie that Maryam had given her, and one of them was that red see-through nightie whose sexiness was really breathtaking. Holy cow! It looks like the ones wearing that are really naked. He then thought about what happened to Maryam last night. The four men would have almost taken advantage of her if he hadn't come to that bar. What he blamed was the very sexy thing Maryam was wearing that night. "Is Maryam a really good designer?" she said and at the same time, she shows Ace the other lingerie design that Maryam gave her. "The red one looks something on you." "Is it something? I guess I prefer the pastel colors. Do you think red is something for me?" "And do you think men will still care what color those lingerie are?" Gina went silent for a second. "Just in case Ace, when you want to buy your girlfriend this kind of dress, what color and design would you choose?" Gina asked him in a low seductive voice. "If you were to ask me, I'd rather choose she wasn't wearing any clothes than wear that as if she's already naked." "That's too much of you." Gina said while catching her breath. "Oh, yes." He said walking towards Gina and he kissed the girl on the cheek. GINA She was really surprised when Ace kissed her because she didn't expect it. She almost forgot to breathe when his lips touched her cheek. When she was able to breathe, Ace suddenly disappeared like a bubble, and worst of all, he left her alone and stunned. She couldn't be bothered anymore, she just walked back and forth in her living room and didn't know what to do, until she heard her cellphone ring. When she looked at the caller, she answered immediately. "Hi, I just forgot to say good night to you." Ace. She was pleased to hear the voice on the other line. "Have you been home yet?" "I'm still here in my car, maybe in about ten minutes and I'll get to the apartment. How about you, what are you doing now?" "Lying in bed." She lied immediately. "And I'm naked, except for the necklace you gave me." She teased. "Really?" Ace asked her curiously. "Joke. Just imagine." She replied jokingly. But suddenly the one on the other line fell silent. "Why Ace, are you interested if that's true?" "I'm really interested in you, Gina, even from the beginning." Her heart seemed to jump with joy when she heard what Ace was telling her and she was suddenly dumbfounded. "I'm really sorry for teasing you." Ace said, breaking her silence. "It's all right. Hmm, Ace...do you believe there's something between the two of us?" "Maybe, but let's work it together, Gina, and--" "I'm not asking you to marry me." She interrupted what Ace would have said. "All I want is for us to get along, that we don't always fight anymore." When Ace didn't answer her, she just said goodbye to the man but she still didn't end the call, until Ace cut the other line, leaving her hanging. ACE He cut off the call and closed his eyes for a moment while he just waited for the traffic light signal to go. Naked, except for the necklace he gave to her. He laughed when he remembered what Gina said. The girl already teased him, so he cut the call because their conversation might have led somewhere else. She was too smart, too quick and most of all she was very attractive. He and Gina are really very different because apart from being a hopeless romantic who likes to believe in what they call true love and fairytale romances, he is the opposite of what she believes, and he just likes to react so maybe she's always pissed at him. And Gina, she is also very vocal and her life is like an open book while he is like a locked diary full of various secrets. He just wished that he wouldn't be close as possible to Gina, just like he kept his distance from her all this time, but sometimes he couldn't avoid getting close to her even though he knew that one day would come that she would hate him. He turned to the dashboard clock and also carefully looked at his rear view mirror making sure no one was following him. He drove across the Jones bridge to Binondo, until he came to a house that the fence was so high that you wouldn't think there was a house inside. He could see that his office was still lit, so he thought that his Dad might still be awake. His father is the only person in the world he can tell about his work and Gina. He can describe his father as relaxed, sitting in his high-backed leather chair while listening, counseling, and encouraging him. He wished for a thousand times that his parents hadn't just separated. He hopes he does always have someone to lean on for everything. But that never happened anymore and he will never be able to go back in time. *****